Official Texans @ Colts Game Thread, 11/1/2010

[HPF Bob]

To beat the Colts, you have to get the lead early and play keep-away from Manning. I felt the Texans knew this and tried to cross them up with passes but Schaub just wasn't making completions. Their DBs were jumping the slant-ins.

They should have gone to the running game much sooner and made them commit to stopping the run. They had success in the second half by pounding the rock and then passing off play-action but it took them far too long to figure this out.

What upset me more was the poor tackling by the defense. Somebody needs to figure out what tackling drills the Steelers do and then teach the same thing. Everytime I watch Pittsburgh, their people wrap up and put the man on the ground. The Texans would rather hit them with a shoulder and hope they fall down. IMO, that's what is keeping us from being a better team - all the extra yards our opponents get because we don't tackle them.

[Joshua]

Speaking of Kube's press conference, did you catch where he said he wasn't thinking about whether he would go for it on 4th down when he called a pass play on 3rd and 2, even though we ended up going for it and not converting with yet another incompletion? To me, this is a very damning admission. How can he not be thinking even one play ahead? Particularly for someone who likes to go for it on 4th down as much as he does. If there is any chance you will go for it on 4th, your 3rd down playcall has to consider this. Considering that his offensive X's and O's are the only thing that Kubiak can realistically claim to be better than average at, his acknowledgement that his playcalling is this off the cuff bothers me.

Plus, IMO, this is the 2nd time he's done this. Remember OT of the Redskins game when they threw it on 3rd and 4 and from the Redskins 35 or so and then decided not to try a 53 yard FG? I got the distinct impression then that he was making decisions on the fly and was not thinking ahead whatsoever then as well.

[nunusguy]

Originally Posted by Joshua

Speaking of Kube's press conference, did you catch where he said he wasn't thinking about whether he would go for it on 4th down when he called a pass play on 3rd and 2, even though we ended up going for it and not converting with yet another incompletion? To me, this is a very damning admission. How can he not be thinking even one play ahead?

Excellent point and yea, it's troubling to hear Kubiak say (based on his own words here) he's basically playing it by the "seat of his pants" with no apparent thought to the subsequent play(s) let alone the subsequent series of plays.

[Nconroe]

Well, could be, but the players on Colts offense and defense whipped our players on offense and defense, whatever the calls were. We didn't execute those calls very well. A quick two yard pass ought to be fairly safe. I likely would have preferred runs by Arain as well, knowing the pass didn't work.

[cadams]

Originally Posted by Nconroe

Well, could be, but the players on Colts offense and defense whipped our players on offense and defense, whatever the calls were. We didn't execute those calls very well. A quick two yard pass ought to be fairly safe. I likely would have preferred runs by Arain as well, knowing the pass didn't work.

even without knowing that the pass play wasn't going to work i would have preferred a run call there. at that point they hadn't held the texans to less than two yards on a rushing play. kubiak was trying to outsmart the colts by calling a pass when everyone knew he should have run the ball. unfortunately he only outsmarts himself in those situation.

also, heard on the radio this morning that when he was asked about why the offense was so pass heavy, and given the stats on it, in the first half of games this season (and particularly on the first series of the first half) kubiak responded by saying he didn't realize that they had been that unbalanced. i am sincerely hoping he was not being serious, becuase if he was they are in more trouble from a coaching perspective than i could have imagined.